Swamp Bats Lose Five-Run Lead in Ninth, Fall to North Adams 8-7 in 11
July 12, 2014 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
The Keene Swamp Bats dropped a heartbreaker on Saturday night, letting a five-run ninth inning lead slip away and falling 8-7 in 11 innings to the North Adams SteepleCats.
Keene drops to 12-13 on the season with the loss, while the SteepleCats improve to 12-14.
Matt Schmidt (Chicago State) delivered the RBI walk-off single in the bottom half of the 11th inning that plated Luke Maglich (South Florida) who had walked to lead off the inning.
Sam Triece (Washington State) was charged with the loss in a third of an inning allowing one run on one hit and walking one.
None of Schmidt's heroics would have been possible if the SteepleCats hadn't plated five runs in the home half of the ninth.
A two-run single from Anthony Papio (Maryland) and an RBI single by Maglich set the stage for Vinny Siena (UConn) to tie the game with a two-run single of his own, scoring Papio and Maglich.
Jack Roberts (Virginia) retired the SteepleCats in order in the eighth, but was unable to get an out in the ninth and exited with the bases loaded. Ben Criscuolo (Southern NH) relieved Roberts and allowed the two-run single to Siena. Roberts was charged with three runs, all earned and Criscuolo was tagged for a pair over two innings of work.
Zach Prendergast (Seton Hall) got the win for North Adams, holding the Swamp Bats scoreless in the 10th and 11 innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out one.
Keene took an early lead in the top of the second when Jarred Mederos (St. John's) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Aubrey McCarty (Vanderbilt).
Josh Delph (Florida State) tied things at one apiece with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning.
The Swamp Bats regained the lead in with a two-out RBI double from Alex Liquori (Kennesaw State) in the fourth.
Another two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth gave Keene a 3-1 lead as Brady Sheetz (Hartford) plated Mederos.
Papio cut the lead in half with a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh, making it 3-2 in favor of Keene.
It would hold that way until the ninth when the Swamp Bats put up a four-spot to open a 7-2 lead. Connor Fitzsimons (Central Conn State) scored Bret Dennis with an RBI single after Dennis had reached with a single of his own to start the inning.
Mederos reached on an error by the left fielder Papio as a sinking line drive fell behind him and allowed Fitzsimons and Ryan Summers (Louisville) to score. Taylor Perez scored the seventh and final run of the night for Keene on an RBI groundout by Sheetz.
The Swamp Bats will look to bounce back tomorrow when they travel to Holyoke to take on the Valley Blue Sox at 5:00 p.m. Alec Bettinger (Virginia) will be on the mound for Keene.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 12, 2014
- Swamp Bats Lose Five-Run Lead in Ninth, Fall to North Adams 8-7 in 11 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Mainers lose 3-2 to Plymouth - Sanford Mainers
- Mainers lose 3-2 to Plymouth - Sanford Mainers
- Vermont defeats Newport - Vermont Mountaineers
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